Binoculars

[Carl F]

Hi there,

I am looking at helping the econcomy as Mr Rudd has suggested and was thinking of getting myself a pair of binoculars.
I have tried a couple of different pairs, Pentax 12x40 and 20x50, both are waterproof. I was also thinking about a pair of Nikon but havent tried them yet. $300(ish) is my budget.

Does anyone have any advice what would be good to use around YSSY, afterall this is where I would be doing 99% of my viewing. Would the 12x40 be sufficient as there a marked difference in magnification between those and the 20x50. Is 20 times too much???
Any help is appreciated.

Cheers
Carl